WASHINGTON – The Printed Circuit Board Association of America today announced the end of Travis Kelly’s term as chairman, a position he has held since the association’s founding in 2021. He will be succeeded by Shane Whiteside, President and CEO of Summit Interconnect.

Kelly said, “It has been my honor to work with so many talented people bringing attention to the critical role printed circuit boards play in all aspects of daily life. The association is in good hands with Shane. He’s an industry veteran who will continue to grow our membership and increase our impact.”

Kelly, who also serves as CEO of Isola Group, is one of the five founding member companies. He oversaw significant growth and accomplishments that have propelled the industry into prominence on Capitol Hill and in the policy community in Washington.

Under his leadership the association has grown from five to sixty members representing printed circuit board (PCB) and substrate manufacturers, assemblers, and materials suppliers.

Working with industry and other association partners, he led efforts to:

• Create the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act (H.R. 3249) pending in Congress
• Successfully advocate for directive language in the National Defense Authorization Act
• Secure a Presidential Determination authorizing the use of Defense Production Act to support the nation’s domestic Printed Circuit Boards and Advanced Packaging industrial base.
• Secure robust funding for the Defense Production Act in the FY24 defense bill

New PCBAA Chairman Shane Whiteside is a Navy veteran, has over 30 years of experience in the microelectronics industry, and was a founding board member of the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics.

Whiteside said, “I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead and am confident we will grow our roster of member companies and increase our visibility and impact in Washington. PCBAA will continue to fight for legislation and policies that support domestic production of PCBs and substrates.”

WASHINGTON – The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer applauding semiconductor manufacturing incentives announced by the U.S. Commerce Department and Absolics, an affiliate of the Korea-based SKC. The incentives, which are part of the CHIPS and Science Act, will support the construction of a 120,000 square-foot facility in Georgia and the development of substrates technology for use in semiconductor advanced packaging.

The Absolics announcement marks the first proposed CHIPS investment in a commercial facility supporting the semiconductor supply chain by manufacturing a new advanced material. The Commerce Department previously announced incentives for chipmakers Polar Semiconductor, Micron, Samsung, TSMC, Intel, GlobalFoundries, Microchip Technology, and BAE Systems.

“As the first proposed CHIPS Act incentives that will support the production of a material critical to the semiconductor supply chain, the Absolics announcement marks an important milestone in the implementation of this landmark law. By incentivizing dozens of U.S.-based semiconductor projects—totaling nearly $450 billion in company investments—CHIPS is on track to deliver a huge return on investment and significant benefits to America’s economy, national security, and supply chain resilience. We congratulate Absolics for this important, job-creating investment in Georgia and commend the Commerce Department for continuing to make progress in getting CHIPS funding out the door and directed to important projects throughout the semiconductor ecosystem.”

An SIA-Boston Consulting Group report released this month projects the United States will triple its domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity from 2022—when CHIPS was enacted—to 2032. The projected 203% growth is the largest projected percent increase in the world over that time. The report also projects America will capture over one-quarter (28%) of total global capital expenditures (capex) from 2024-2032.

NEW MILFORD, CT – Vision Engineering, the world-leading provider of innovative inspection, metrology, and digital 3D visualization solutions, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its best-selling and award-winning Mantis range of ergonomic optical stereo microscopes.

In 1994, Vision Engineering revolutionized the field of microscopy by introducing the first-ever 'eyepiece- less' stereo microscope, Mantis. This innovative instrument was meticulously crafted to bridge the gap between a bench magnifier and a traditional microscope, offering users an unparalleled ergonomic experience.

Its pioneering design not only earned Mantis widespread acclaim but also secured numerous esteemed design and innovation awards. As a result, Mantis quickly established itself as the industry standard for high-performance ergonomic stereo magnification, redefining precision and user comfort in industrial microscopy applications within the electronics, medical device, aerospace and automotive industries. In 2005, Vision Engineering unveiled the second generation of Mantis. Soon after its introduction, Mantis manufacturing moved from the United Kingdom to New Milford, CT USA. This iteration featured notable enhancements, such as a sleek and modern design, improved LED lighting, an expanded field of view, increased magnification capabilities of up to 20x, and stand and accessory options. In 2009, Vision Engineering expanded the Mantis range by introducing the Mantis Elite HD Cam with a built-in camera for image capture.

The third generation Mantis was introduced in June 2023. The newest edition includes improved optics for both hand-to-eye coordination and excellent depth perception, a 3-position turret to house up to 3 objectives ranging from 3x to 15x, an 8x super long working distance lens, and five different illumination options providing flexibility to optimize the lighting to view the perfect image. The Mantis PIXO offers an improved, higher-resolution image and video camera. The system also features an option to switch between white and UV light.

NASHVILLE – KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally responsible cleaning chemistries, will exhibit at the SMTA Querétaro Expo & Tech Forum, scheduled to take place Thursday, June 6, at Querétaro Centro de Congresos y Teatro Metropolitano. The KYZEN clean team will showcase understencil cleaning chemistry KYZEN E5631J and aqueous cleaning solution AQUANOX A4618.

KYZEN E5631J and AQUANOX A4618 are both formulated to efficiently and effectively clean solder at different phases of PCB production.

KYZEN E5631J is a ready-to-use solution that is proven compatible with common stencils, cleaning equipment, and printer manufacturers for removing raw solder paste from stencils. The cost-effective solution quickly and effectively cleans all types of raw solder pastes in both online and offline cleaning processes.

AQUANOX A4618 is an aqueous cleaning chemistry designed to clean lead-free flux residues, including no-clean and Pb-free residues. A4618 is safe for multi-pass applications, and is equipped with an adjusted stabilizer package and has a long bath life.

KYZEN products and cleaning experts are continuously focused on providing quality chemistries like KYZEN E5631J and AQUANOX A4618 to alleviate the unique cleaning challenges of PCB producers at every stage of their process.

For more information, visit www.kyzen.com